Footwear



Nov. s, 1940. F. w. MCLEA'N .2,220,534A

FOOTWEAR Filed Oct. 19, 1938 "zumummmmmmlmmmm/ lNvr-:NToR F W. Mazen/:U

@uu/W, @MMM/@ l ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 5, 1940 UNITED ySTATES PATENTE OFFICE I 2,220,534 l' f l.

iioo'rwiiait` Frank W. McLean, Shreveport, La. i 'Applieation october 19, 193s, serial No. 235,838

1 claim. (Cl. :is-11.5)

This invention relates to improvements in footwear, a particular purpose thereof being to afford the wearer greater comfort than has hitherto been obtainable by known types. The particular 5 designation of theinvention as a sandal is not to be regarded as a limitation upon the extension of the principles herein announced. The latter can be embodied in a shoe as well as a sandal.

But confining the description to the latter type of footwear it is commonly known that the canvas or leather of which sandals are customarily made, often causes the wearer discomfort, especially when the sandal is new because of being hard and relatively non-conforming to the foot.

Of course, after the sandal has been worn for a period, the natural breaking-in process overcomes any discomfort which was formerly had. But it is the purpose of the invention to provide a sandal which will be as soft, yielding and comfortable when it is new as when it has undergone considerable wear. With this premise in mind the objects of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide a sandal which can be made to conform to the shape of the wearers foot,

2li thereby to compensate for ,high places which wouldV be pressed upon by a virtually rigid sandal, further to ease tender or sore places and to afford the utmost comfort.

Second, to provide a sandal which is freely adjustable at each of a plurality of contact points against the wearers foot, thereby to obtain a substantially uniform application of pressure upon the whole foot.

Third, to provide a sandal wherein the foregoing principles of conformity and adjustment are produced by a single lace.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which: y

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved sandal.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the upper structure blank.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the straps, particularly illustrating the woven eyelet.

In carrying out the invention, the sandal I is shown to comprise a sole 2, heel 3 and an upper structure which, as a whole is designated 4. The sole 2 and heel 3 may comprise a single rubber unit. It is also intended to make the sole either of rubber, leather or of a known composition, and to have the heel 3 separate in some cases,

`5g for example when it is desired to use a leather being stamped or cut from canvas. y

Said blank 5 has sole and'heel portions 6, 1, 10 each with appendages which are made to comprise the upper structure 4 (Fig. 1). Said portions 6, I are vulcanized at B to the sole 2 and heel 3, as illustrated in the instance of the sole 2 in Fig. 3.

At the front the blank 5 has a toe-piece 9 which merges into a tongue I0. I Along the sides of the blank there are straps II which project out at different distances fromV the margin of the sole portion 6. The extremities of these straps are 20 desirably beveled at I2 so as to match the beveled extremities I3of a. counter portion I4.

The latter is V-notched at Iii at a sufiicient number of places and to a sumcient extent tov produce a nicely shaped counter when the edges 25 y of the notches are brought together and sewed at I6, as in Fig. 1. 'I'he points of the notches I! terminate approximately at a line II which delines the contour of the heel portion 1. The extremities I3 extend out from the margin I8 of the $0 counter portion I4, beingso shaped at I9 as to insure a properly curved conguration over those parts of the wearer's foot adjacent to the instep; The bevel extremities I3 are properly described as being parts of counter strapsl l4a. These 35 straps are separated from the counter portion I4 by V-notches I5a. The counter'straps I4a are generally similar to the other straps I I inasmuch as they play a part in producing the conformity of the shoe to the wearer's foot when the lace is o drawn up.

The tongue I0 has pairs of eyelets 2li, 2|, respectively adjacent to the toe-piece 9 and to the extremity thereof. Single eyelets 22 are provided.

in the extremities of the strap appendages. 45

These eyelets are preferably vwoven as at 23 in Fig. 4. This weaving provides an adequate reinforcement and avoids the hard contact which a metal eyelet might make, especially if thesandal is worn on a bare foot. 50

A single lace 24 is threaded through the vvarious eyelets. The mode of threading will ordinarily be as depicted-in Fig. 1. The lace is started at the twin eyelets 20 and is then passed through the eyelets 22 after successive crossings. It is 55 f .extremity of the tongue and in the extremities of the counter straps, whereupon it is tied as usual. a

From this it will be understood that the tongue i0 is emplaced on the instep of the foot and that the various straps are brought up over the sides of the foot prior to doing kthe lacing. 'I'he extremities of al1 ofv` the straps go over the tongue. Consequentlyonly a few parts oi' the lace can come into contact with the loot. The underlying principle of the invention is to enable the wearer to so draw the laces that the various straps will make contact with the foot-only with suillcient pressure to aiord the best adJustment. In this manner a substantially uniform application is obtained, this being the principal advan.

tage when the wearer is troubled with tender or injured feet.

I claim:

j An article of vfootwear' comprising a sole, and

an upper structure attached to the sole, said upper structure comprising a sole portion having a toe piece at the front of the sole portion extending well from side to side to substantially cover all oi' the toes, said toe piece having a 5 tongue attached to an edge thereof and having lace anchoring means substantially at the point o! attachment of the tongue to the toe piece and at the upper end of the tongue. said sole portion having a plurality of straps springing from the lo sides and having eyeterminalsfadapted to be superimposed upon the tongue. a rear portion at the back oi' the sole portion, said rear portion including a pair oi' instep straps having eye-terminals also adapted for superimposition upon the l5 tongue. and a lace anchored medially of its ends Y at said first mentioned anchoring means and 

